Awake, O Sleeper | Ephesians 5:14

Divine Fellowship

“For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’” – 2 Corinthians 6:16

Recently, I heard of an individual who was saddened by her estranged relationship with a close friend. The two had been inseparable for years and shortly after high school, they had a falling out. Their friendship began when they met in middle school and knew no one else in their new surroundings. They became instant friends and depended on each other for so much. She described her loss to be like “losing a sister.” Dealing with the loss of a relationship can be difficult, and at times, heart breaking. The more I thought about it, the more I began to reflect on my relationship with Jesus Christ.

When God created Adam, He said that He “would make man in Our own image.” When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they lost that deep fellowship with Him. That intimate relationship that God intended to have with man was destroyed by the disobedience of man. Can you imagine how God must have felt to have the relationship He so longed for ruined by man’s sin? Fortunately for us, that relationship was restored when Jesus Christ came to the Earth and gave His life up so that we could be saved. What Adam lost in the Garden of Eden, Jesus Christ gave back on the Cross of Calvary.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18

“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:9

The Mighty, Powerful God that we serve, longs to have a relationship with you and me. In the friendship I mentioned earlier, this lady felt a deep sadness after losing a close friend. I’ve often thought about how I have neglected my relationship with Jesus Christ. Having a healthy, functioning relationship requires that both parties actively contribute to ensure growth and communication. If I do not do my part in contributing to my relationship with Christ, it will remain stagnant and will not grow.

I heard a message recently, where the speaker posed this question: “Are you depriving God every day of having fellowship with you?” This question really stuck with me! God longs to be with us and every day that I decide I’m too tired to put the effort into our relationship, I am depriving Him (and myself) of having true fellowship. Adam sinned, but through Jesus Christ, that fellowship has been restored.

Having a strained relationship is difficult and can be disheartening, but we serve a God who loves us and there is nothing we can do to separate us from that love! 2 Corinthians 6:16 tells us that the Spirit of God dwells in us, and it is He that directs and guides us. His Spirit helps us to live in the way that pleases Him. Through prayer and meditation, we will begin to learn how to walk in Him and please Him in all that we do.

The friendship between these two ladies began because they depended on each other for fellowship and companionship, but shortly died down because that fellowship was severed. Our friendship with God can only grow, but we must be willing to commit to Him and spend time in His presence, getting to know Him on a personal level.

Jesus Christ bought us with a price so that we could restore our fellowship with God. He desires for us to be in His presence and to walk in His Spirit, and in turn, we will begin to show the world who Christ is. The more time we spend with Him, the more we understand His will and purpose for us in this world. As believers we are responsible for the generation in which we live in. We live in a time where people hate God and are turning far away from Him. God made mention of the prophets in Jeremiah saying, “But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds” (Jeremiah 23:22). Let us not be like those prophets; rather, let us stand in the council of God so that we can know Him and understand His will. In doing this, we can intercede for the world and watch as they turn back from their evil deeds and run towards Our Savior.

If you feel like your relationship with Christ has been strained, get on your knees and ask The Spirit that dwells in you to guide and direct you. Run into His presence and allow Him to speak to you and use you for His glory!